WSLA Alumnae Group Announces Class of 2024

Scottsdale, AZ, February 16, 2024-The WSLA Alumnae Group announced this year’s stellar sustainability leaders in a live and virtual Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards (WSLA) ceremony February 14, 2023, during GreenBiz at the Scott Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The new WSLA Class of 2024 joins women at the forefront of sustainability who are making a difference in the world by initiating lasting change.

Over 100 people attended the live ceremony in person or joined virtually worldwide. The awards started with an introduction by emcee Rochelle Routman, WSLA Alumnae Group’s president and chairperson of the board, toasting lead Diamond Sponsor HMTX Industries with a signature WSLA basil gin gimlet as she welcomed the new winners into the WSLA fold.

The WSLA Awards ceremony began with opening words from noted curandera (traditional healer) Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, an indigenous activist recognized for her work with food and lifestyle as medicine. In an audience-interactive circle symbolic of unity, Ruiz applied her indigenous spiritual knowledge in a collective lesson about keeping balance and peace aligned with achieving a sense of wellness and security, for both individuals and the planet.

The keynote fireside chat followed, led by Heather Clancy, editorial director of GreenBiz Group, featured a stimulating dialog on the topic “The Intersection of Women, Climate & Health” in conversation with WSLA honoree Monica Nakielski, a sustainability practitioner and consultant to major healthcare organizations including Advocate Aurora Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Mass General Brigham Hospital. Together they explored the definition of sustainability from a healthcare provider’s point of view, e.g. healthcare providers prioritizing sustainability to address chemicals of concern and medical waste, the implications of climate change for the future of medical care, and why women are particularly vulnerable.

The winners are

* Laura Bishop, independent corporate board director, Ecovadis

* Natalie Blyth, global head of commercial banking sustainability, HSBC Holdings Plc

* Libby Johnson McKee, founder, Nautilus Advisory Group

* Desta Raines, director of sustainability, Sephora

* Amy Roesler, CEO, Roesler and Associates

* Lourdes Salinas, founder & director, THREE Consultoría Medioambiental

* Christina Skonberg, director of sustainability & mission, Simple Mills

* Susan Hunt Stevens, founder, WeSpire

* Kristen B. Sullivan, audit & assurance partner and sustainability and ESG services leader, Deloitte & Touche

* Mallory Taub, sustainability director, senior associate, Gensler